If It’s Free, Could It Have Any Value?

It was Friday morning, during rush hour. Over the next 43 minutes, he played six, famous classical pieces while the crowds were passing by.

The commuters were given a choice. Do I stop and listen? Or hurry past, annoyed by this delay, on your way to work.

Here’s the one thing they didn’t know.

This was no ordinary busker. This musician was the world-renowned virtuoso, Joshua Bell, who happened to be playing a $3.5 million Stradivarius violin.

Two weeks earlier, Joshua performed in Boston’s Symphony Hall where basic seats cost $100 each. And he was in town to perform at the Library of Congress.

However, that day he was seen as any other street performer.

In the course of six songs, 1097 people passed by and only one person recognized that this was something special. And though he seeded his case with tip money, he collected a mere $32.17.

Yes, some people gave him pennies.

This performance was a social experiment to see if the beauty of those songs would transcend the moment.

However, what it really showed is the value people place on “Free” stuff.

Nada. Zilch. Zero.

The same thing happens when you advertise a lower commission to gain more buyers. You don’t actually gain more buyers, just ones who respect your work less.

And that’s the exact opposite of what I want to achieve. Instead, I’d rather have clients who appreciate the work that I do, realize how difficult it is, and be willing to pay a fair price for excellent service.

Wouldn’t you?

Instead of a race to the bottom, learn to show your real value so people see you as an expert and authority in your market. Over the last thirteen years, I’ve made all the same mistakes that you have.

Annoyed clients with cold calls. Wasted time doing pop-by to people who were not there. Or bragging about my production.

This won’t give you the results that you want. And neither will cutting your commission.

You need to build “real” relationships, provide value and help people solve problems. While there are several ways to do this, none that I’ve found are as simple and easy as the marketing system that I outlined in my book, Kill Cold Calls.

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